MPCA fines Gibbon men $10,000

Violations at former Gibbon Ballroom

July 26, 2013

WILLMAR - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) cited and fined two Gibbon men $10,000 on May 20, 2013 for violations of solid waste and air quality rules at the former Gibbon Ballroom.

David and Charlie Wiethoff were cited for demolition debris infractions including asbestos, according to Cory Boeck of the MPCA office in Mankato.

The MPCA completed 65 enforcement cases in 42 Minnesota counties during the second quarter of 2013. Penalties in the cases totaled nearly $240,000. Nearly 30 percent of the cases were for storm water runoff violations that can increase soil erosion and cause sediment and other pollutants to wash into lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. The issues lead to decreased water quality and can harm fish and other aquatic life.

Granite Falls Redi-Mix was cited for several water quality rules violations on March 13, 2013. The company made corrections and paid a $10,000 civil penalty.

The firm disposed of concrete waste on Northern States Power Co. property next to the Minnesota River, east of Granite Falls from 1984 to June 2010. The discharges entered a wetland that is hydrologically connected to the Minnesota River, according to the MPCA.